


Of Rats and Robberies

by goldkirk



Series: LeviHan Week 2014 [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Gen, but by golly I ship them still, like they'll grow from friendship into a lovely levihan love, since they're just kids, this is general and friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 01:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2562719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldkirk/pseuds/goldkirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which ten-year-old Levi falls off a building and ten-year-old Hange is upset about research impediments. (This is totally AU by the way.) This is my contribution to LeviHan week day one: childhood. I know this is ridiculous but it was pretty fun to write so I'm happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Rats and Robberies

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is rubbish and totally self-serving and somewhat OOC too but please don't kill me.

"If you don't get in here by the count of ten I'll—"

Levi made a  _tch_ sound and tuned out the rest of the angry mother's rant. What did he care about some kid who decided to stay out late and not come home in time for a ridiculously extravagant dinner, just like every other day of their life? He had more important things to worry about, like stealing some food so he and his friends could stay alive for another day.

* * *

 

Zoe crept around the alleyway corner, making sure she wasn't being followed by anyone. After checking to make sure it was empty except for the usual trash, she sighed heavily and dropped her small sack on the ground. Before she was able to sit next to it, however, there was a muffled curse and a loud  _thump_  as something landed on a pile of rubbish behind her. Hange tried to muffle a sqeak and spun around.

On top of the rubbish heap, a boy of around her own age was sitting up with a quiet groan, rubbing his back and looking disgustedly down at the waste he had had the misfortune of landing on.

"Tch.  _Filthy,"_ he growled. Hange tried to choke back a laugh. The boy's head snapped up.

"Who are you?" he demanded, jumping up and suddenly looking fiercely dangerous.

"Sorry," Hange said, still with a half-smile on her face. "That was just really funny. You looked like the trash had personally offended you."

"It did." Hange was thrown off for a moment, smile fading as she tried to work out if he was making a joke or not.

The two stood in the middle of the alley, Levi stonefaced and Hange looking curious. 

"What are you even doing here?" Levi asked, taking in her unkempt but clearly upper-class appearance.

"My name is Zoe Hange and what I'm doing is a secret," Hange replied. Levi blinked. "What are  _you_ doing? People don't make a habit of falling from buildings into back alley rubbish heaps—unless of course you do, which is totally fine and I'm not going to judge you for it, but really, what are you up to?" Hange's eyes gleamed a bit in the dim alley. It was a bit creepy.

"None of your business. Forget you saw me." Levi turned and started walking away.

"Hey, wait!" she called. 

Levi winced.  _Too loud._ Too loud, someone would hear and come investigating. Idiot.  _"What?"_ he snapped, whirling on her. She froze for a second, then quickly recovered.

"You look like you know what you're doing. Can I join you? Whatever you're doing, it must be interesting if it involves climbing around on buildings. And what's with the 'forget you saw me' stuff? Are you a spy or something? So exciting!" Her hands were clasped tightly together in front of her collarbone now, and she looked positively ecstatic. Levi was horrified.

"Listen here, brat—"

"Hey, that's not very nice, and I don't think I'm younger than you so you really don't have any right to go around calling me  _brat—"_

"Shut up!" Levi snapped. "You're just some dumb kid from the upper world who's never had to fight for anything. You've never gone hungry or watched friends die and had to deal with gangs and criminals and scavengers every second of every day just to survive. You're just some stupid brat who's upset with her rich mommy and daddy because life isn't completely going by your wishes and so you decided to make some half-assed attempt at running away to make a point. You don't know anything, and you're not fit to be on the streets, especially not at night, and especially when there are burglars and hitmen on the job. Go home and forget about this."

Hange was silent for a moment, cocking her head. "Are  _you_ a burglar?"

Levi stared at her, stunned. "What?"

"Or a hitman? So you're from the underground? Why are you up here then?"

"I don't—"

"And don't you dare tell me I don't know anything, because you don't know anything about me. You don't know what my life is like or why I'm running away. You don't even know I'm running away. You just guessed it from the fact that I'm out at night by myself with a sack in an alleyway."

"It's obvious."

"No, it really isn't. I'm not running away, I'm doing research, and it was going to be a great night for it until you dropped out of nowhere and scared away all the specimens!" Hange was getting worked up now, and as she started waving her hands in the air Levi's fingers twitched toward the knife tucked in his jacket.  _I guess I heard someone else's mother._

"All right, all right," he said. "So I was wrong, you're not running away. Your research is ruined for the night. So go home."

"No," Hange snapped, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I'm staying here. There's still a chance I could get some done later, if no more midgets come dropping out of nowhere to scare away the specimens. Now get out of my alley!"

Levi couldn't back down now.  _"Your_ alley?!" He spat. "Since when is it your alley? I was here first!" _  
_

"You were not! You may have been on the building, but I was in the alley."

"It's an alley! It doesn't belong to anyone!"

"Tonight, it belongs to me. I claimed it."

"You can't claim an alley," said Levi, despite the fact that he'd been doing that for years in the underground.

"Oh yeah? Try me." Hange growled. She threw a piece of rotting fruit at him. 

"I could just kill you—" Levi started.

"You won't do that. If you were going to kill me or anything you'd have done it ages ago," Hange pointed out with infuriating accuracy. "Now either get out of my alley or help me do my research, because I'm not going anywhere until I have two rats in my box and manage to observe their feeding habits for at least an hour."

"I'm not going to help you with your research, you shitty glasses! I have important business to get to tonight, and you're holding me up!"

"So go then!"

"I can't, because you're taking over the stupid alley!"

"So help me get my research done faster and then you can have it back!"

"Ha! So you admit that it was mine first."

"I said no such thing—"

* * *

 

When the sun rose over the rooftops, it fell upon the curious sight of two ten-year-olds asleep in an alley, surrounded by dismantled rubbish heaps, a box full of rats, pages of almost-illegible handwriting, a knife, and a small coin purse full of gold coins.

The duo had been busy that night—and bickered cheerfully the whole time.

When Hange woke up, Levi was gone, along with his knife, the purse, and the spare loaf of bread she'd brought. But in her pocket was a note that said simply,  _It was fun breaking the law with someone else for a change. Maybe I'll see you again someday if we both get arrested by the MP._

She grinned down at the paper. "I don't even know your name," Hange said to the air. She noticed something on the back of the sheet and flipped it over. 

_P.S.—My name's Levi. Good luck with the rats._

* * *

 

That night, Hange sat in the alley again. She absentmindedly stroked the rat she was holding as she stared at the wall across from her.

"Oi, that's disgusting. Touching a filthy rat like that..."

Hange grinned slowly and looked up with a spark in her eye. "Hello...Levi. Ready for some fun?"

"How does crashing an MP drinking party and grabbing some meat sound to you?"

Levi held out a hand, and Hange took it without hesitation. "Absolutely fantastic. YaHOOO!"

He couldn't bring himself to be annoyed at her. He felt the same way


End file.
